Aunt Mabel Suggests…

Ever notice that the NYTimes.com most-emailed list is slanted toward an older demographic? Maybe because only folks over a certain age—like our Aunt Mabel—still use the email tool. Here’s a quick, annotated guide to what grandma and grandpa thought you might be interested in from NYTimes.com …

An Observation: Aunt Mabel decided to shake things up on Wednesday! Only one story from the top 10 list yesterday remains on the list. But don’t worry: She stays loyal to her favorite topics. And Iran still isn’t one of them.

1. Unlike Frank Rich, who instantly catapulted to No. 1 on Sunday/Monday, this story has steadily creeped up the list to land on the top spot. Auntie loves herself a piece where creditors are settling delinquent accounts for much less than what was originally owed.

2. Don’t use Zicam! This story, we humbly think, actually should be No. 1. In fact, I wish Mabel had sent me this this morning. Zicam is one of the reasons why we haven’t been so sick in the last year. Feel a little tingle in your throat? Squirt this up your nose, repeat every four hours, and cold averted! But apparently the F.D.A. said this will destroy your sense of smell, and there are a whole bunch of lawsuits against it. We see a Mabel-ready Day 2 story tomorrow: Life After Zicam.